FE vs. WTRG: FirstEnergy vs. Essential Utilities Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do FirstEnergy (FE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

FirstEnergy (FE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG) both fall under the Utilities industry group, but FE is classified in Electric Utilities while WTRG is classified in Water Utilities.

Company profile comparison for FirstEnergy (FE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Profile Item	FE	WTRG
Name	FirstEnergy Corp.	Essential Utilities Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry Group	Utilities	Utilities
GICS Industry	Electric Utilities	Water Utilities
GICS Sub-Industry	Electric Utilities	Water Utilities
Market Capitalization	26.88 billion USD	13.02 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	November 10, 1997	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

WTRG

GSPC

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for FirstEnergy (FE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for FirstEnergy (FE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	FE	WTRG
Total Return (1Y)	5.62%	19.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	14.20%	13.95%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	8.32%	2.39%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

WTRG

GSPC

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for FirstEnergy (FE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	FE	WTRG
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	16.31%	22.14%
Beta (5Y)	0.39	0.61
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-28.59%	-36.53%
Avg. Volume (3M)	4.29M	2.38M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FE and WTRG are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	FE	WTRG
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.08	0.67
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.11	1.08

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 10.04% and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 8.13% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

FE

Utilities industry group

10.04%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
FE: 10.04%
Median: 9.44%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%

WTRG

Utilities industry group

8.13%

Max: 17.99%
Q3: 12.01%
Median: 9.44%
WTRG: 8.13%
Q1: 7.56%
Min: 2.17%

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their ROE against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 21.79% keeps a top-quartile share of each sales dollar as profit, while FirstEnergy (FE) at 7.49% keeps a bottom-quartile share.

FE

Utilities industry group

7.49%

Max: 28.78%
Q3: 17.30%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
FE: 7.49%
Min: -0.20%

WTRG

Utilities industry group

21.79%

Max: 28.78%
WTRG: 21.79%
Q3: 17.30%
Median: 12.73%
Q1: 9.18%
Min: -0.20%

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their net margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 38.94% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of FirstEnergy (FE) at 21.24%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

FE

Utilities industry group

21.24%

Max: 53.83%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
FE: 21.24%
Q1: 15.45%
Min: -4.90%

WTRG

Utilities industry group

38.94%

Max: 53.83%
WTRG: 38.94%
Q3: 31.12%
Median: 23.62%
Q1: 15.45%
Min: -4.90%

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their operating margin against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	FE	WTRG
ROE (TTM)	10.04%	8.13%
ROA (TTM)	3.66%	3.00%
Net Margin (TTM)	7.49%	21.79%
Operating Margin (TTM)	21.24%	38.94%
Gross Margin (TTM)	69.63%	57.07%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 18.62% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while FirstEnergy (FE) at 12.01% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for WTRG.

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 3.53% and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 1.38% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	FE	WTRG
Revenue Growth (YoY)	12.01%	18.62%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	6.59%	2.65%
EPS Growth (YoY)	3.53%	1.38%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	35.34%	7.52%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 0.38 and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 0.40 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

FE

Utilities industry group

0.38

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
FE: 0.38
Min: 0.29

WTRG

Utilities industry group

0.40

Max: 1.90
Q3: 1.17
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.66
WTRG: 0.40
Min: 0.29

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their current ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 1.23 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while FirstEnergy (FE) at 2.07 uses more debt funding than most peers.

FE

Utilities industry group

2.07

Max: 2.63
FE: 2.07
Q3: 1.77
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

WTRG

Utilities industry group

1.23

Max: 2.63
Q3: 1.77
Median: 1.35
WTRG: 1.23
Q1: 0.84
Min: 0.00

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	FE	WTRG
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.38	0.40
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.07	1.23
Net Debt / EBITDA	5.85	6.30

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

FirstEnergy (FE) at 3.90% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 3.01% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, FE the richer one.

FE

Utilities industry group

3.90%

Max: 6.66%
FE: 3.90%
Q3: 3.58%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: 0.00%

WTRG

Utilities industry group

3.01%

Max: 6.66%
Q3: 3.58%
WTRG: 3.01%
Median: 2.85%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: 0.00%

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 87.92% and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 69.42% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

FE

Utilities industry group

87.92%

Max: 113.04%
FE: 87.92%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
Min: 0.00%

WTRG

Utilities industry group

69.42%

Max: 113.04%
WTRG: 69.42%
Q3: 68.72%
Median: 56.38%
Q1: 32.38%
Min: 0.00%

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	FE	WTRG
Dividend Yield (TTM)	3.90%	3.01%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	87.92%	69.42%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both FirstEnergy (FE) at 22.43 and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 22.73 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

FE

Utilities industry group

22.43

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
FE: 22.43
Median: 19.64
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34

WTRG

Utilities industry group

22.73

Max: 31.22
Q3: 23.30
WTRG: 22.73
Median: 19.64
Q1: 15.17
Min: 3.34

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

FirstEnergy (FE) at 1.68 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 5.01 sits in the pricier quartile — WTRG costs more per dollar of sales.

FE

Utilities industry group

1.68

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
FE: 1.68
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.00

WTRG

Utilities industry group

5.01

Max: 6.35
WTRG: 5.01
Q3: 3.63
Median: 2.63
Q1: 1.52
Min: 0.00

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both FirstEnergy (FE) at 2.07 and Essential Utilities (WTRG) at 1.83 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

FE

Utilities industry group

2.07

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
FE: 2.07
Median: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

WTRG

Utilities industry group

1.83

Max: 3.12
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.83
WTRG: 1.83
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.34

FirstEnergy (FE) vs. Essential Utilities (WTRG): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Utilities industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for FirstEnergy (FE) and Essential Utilities (WTRG)
Metric	FE	WTRG
P/E Ratio (TTM)	22.43	22.73
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.68	5.01
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.07	1.83
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-9.48%	-5.45%